Scratch-built card and styrene structures (based on real buildings around London Bridge)

[grahame]

I've spent a few hours putting together some NGS kits of bogie flat wagons (although stopping to watch the football). They're not finished but here's how far I've got.

 

 

They'll probably form the basis of an article for 'N Gauge Now' magazine. 

[grahame]

Here's a gratuitous non-sequitur pic that might be of interest. Actually I took it recently to accompany an article I wrote for 'N Gauge Now' about making a pre-fab building but thought I'd share it here:

 

[grahame]

I've been building a Beaver white metal kit of an LNER/NER Quad bogie bolster wagon (just for a bit of fun). Next to think about is painting it. The huge bridge girder was quickly scratch-built last night:

 

 

[grahame]

I've got a bit of paint on it now. I didn't have any specific decals for LNER/BR Quads so used some rough and ready generic ones. The load needs chaining down but that's something else I don't have - suitable fine chain. Must get some.

 

[grahame]

The poster collection is growing, mainly thanks to Andy Gibbs. They do mostly cover the period late 70s to late 90s (a couple possibly later) and some are made up/adapted. Again if anyone wants a pdf of the entire latest collection (they are scaled for N/2mm) then PM me.

 

 

 

 

 

[ChrisH-UK]

Cigs, cars and booze definitely represent the most common billboards, but looking at those reminded me of a few others I remember, foxes glacier mints - the pack logo of the bear standing on the mint from the late 70s/early 80s (I've looked for it but not found the right version), Tunes & Lockets - packshot, Walls ice cream - can't remember which product. Alliance & Leicester Building Society, I remember Halifax having billboards before Howard and also Lloyds Bank. Rowenta irons, Zanussi - something like this, oh and famous Grouse whisky.

[grahame]

Here's another wagon (not a card building) fun project to convert two old Farish bogie tankers in to ones that are a little different - batch 82200-82227 built 1980 with continuous sole-bars and Gloucester bogies. It's not a fully accurate bash as the channel sole-bars are added over the Farish sole-bars and make the width a little oversize, even with the relief edging filed off the Farish underframe, but it does keep things simple and the alternative is to effectively build complete, new, scale-sized underframes.  Progress so far in the pic below - it's temporarily sitting on incorrect bogies, and catwalks, ladders, buffers and underframe equipment yet to be made and added.

 

 

 

[grahame]

Latest orders from NGS (buffers, bogies and some other kits) and Fretcetera (mesh etches) have now arrived. 

 

[03060]

I will be interested to see the mesh etches from Fretcetera as well as your finished model, as at some point I wish to 'create' better models of the Fort William  bound Alcan alumina tanks than the bog standard PCA cement tanks I currently have in readiness for my new layout.

[grahame]

17 hours ago, 03060 said:

I will be interested to see the mesh etches from Fretcetera as well as your finished model, as at some point I wish to 'create' better models of the Fort William  bound Alcan alumina tanks than the bog standard PCA cement tanks I currently have in readiness for my new layout.

 

The plan is to cut the etched mesh and glue over a plasticard former as below to represent the catwalk grid (but it's not easy and quite fiddly). Fingers crossed it doesn't simply get gummed up when painted:

 

 

I selected square mesh as the catwalks for the tankers appear to be square or rectangular. Diamond shapes and other type of etches are available. The Scale Link Fretcetera stuff is available in a range of pitches/hole size. Hasegawa also do a large range of etched modelling mesh but I couldn't find anywhere that stocks/sells it in the UK.

 

 

 

[03060]

4 hours ago, grahame said:

 

I selected square mesh as the catwalks for the tankers appear to be square or rectangular. Diamond shapes and other type of etches are available. The Scale Link Fretcetera stuff is available in a range of pitches/hole size. Hasegawa also do a large range of etched modelling mesh but I couldn't find anywhere that stocks/sells it in the UK.

 

Thanks Grahame,

 

I had a look at the Fretcetera web site after reading your post, quite an interesting range which I'll have to study a bit more closely and consider what I might be able to use on my new layout before putting an order in.

 

Looking on with interest.

Regards,

Ian.

[grahame]

Phew, got the mesh on one of the catwalks - fiddly and tricky, especially to cut. And still the other to do!

 

Here it is just balancing on top of the body (below). It does need some tidying up before gluing in place and should look better when painted and other details added, but it is now starting to look like a fuel tanker:

 

 

 

[richbrummitt]

Not sure how you are cutting the mesh Grahame (so I might be trying to teach egg sucking), but I try to use scissors for most of my etch removal. Reasonable craft/kitchen type scissors the type of which used to be available in Staples for a couple of quid will work for small thin pieces like etch tabs. The ones I have are branded Rapesco and they are comparable if not otherwise identical to the ones we have in the sideboard, which are branded Staples. I also have some similar to these for the when the metal is thicker than the scissors can manage (about 0.005"). I never use them on steel though; the blades could easily become notched.

 

[grahame]

Thanks, but it's not so much in being able to cut the etched mesh (I've plenty of cutting tools that will cut it) but being able to cut very small shapes accurately and finely to fit and tiny curved shapes diagonally across the mesh grid.

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

Starting to come together now (etched draw hooks, end bosses and end catwalk underside support added) although ladders to be fitted and underframe details made and added. Plus bringing the other one up to the same stage.

 

 

And just to confirm there are two in the works:

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by grahame

[grahame]

I've got them both to the same stage now, but some of the modelling needs tidying up. Next a rest and think through how to tackle the under-side details that need making and adding:

 

 

 

[grahame]

I've started to add some underframe details from scraps of plastic rod and sheet, wire and etched brake wheels. It's all a bit rough and ready but it will be painted black and being underneath won't be obvious. One down and one to go - and apologies for the poor rushed snap below:

 

[grahame]

I've decided to go with the early/original incarnation (1980 to 1986 at least) as it fits better with my modelling period. The tankers had Total lettering branding (Fox do it in N/2mm) on left end of sides, no hazchem plates or end inspection hatches (so I've removed them) and will add the end vertical pipes pre-painted as the last details as picking out thin pipes is difficult in N/2mm. The ladders are on one now (the other to do):
 

 

And one with a bit of paint on now (although it does need some touching up_:

 

 

Edited August 16, 2021 by grahame

[grahame]

The 'Total' Fox transfers arrived yesterday (the others I had examples of although not all completely accurate/correct). I only phoned the order over the day before so a very good service. And they didn't take long to apply.

 

The models are almost complete now, although the vertical pipes on the ends are yet to be added, and some further dirtying down is required, so this'll possibly be the last update on them. Probably, maybe? ;-) Overall I'm quite pleased with what is a pretty much a quick, rough and ready project rather than a fine-scale accurate replication. And, hopefully, the models capture the look and character of the prototype that they are based on.

 

 

[grahame]

I've put together a couple of containers which are available as a NGS kit. I've not done a very good job, probably too rushed but they'll do as part of a scene especially when weathered/made grubby, and the maroon is toned down. It should have been bauxite but not having any I used some Tamiya aerosol maroon (okay for older ones) I happened to have. 

 

 

[grahame]

For a bit of fun, I've made a NGS kit of a Limpet wagon. It's very straightforward and has a one-piece Peco chassis (so not entirely accurate) but would make an ideal beginners kit.

 

[grahame]

I've just hand-painted the signage on this warehouse having noticed that much on Copenhagen Fields is hand sign-written. Hope I'll get away with it bearing in mind the small size and that the pic is probably larger than real life (fingers crossed):

 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2021 by grahame

[grahame]

I've just put this photo story-board together for another platform/forum, about scratch-building 'Bridge House' in card, and thought I'd also share it here (as it might be of interest). Further details about this project can be found earlier in this thread.

 

 

Edited September 2, 2021 by grahame

[grahame]

I've received a couple of laser-cut kits of sheds that I'd ordered a day or two ago for a bit of modelling fun as I've not made a laser-cut wood/board/card model before:

 

 

I ordered them from Model Scenery Supplies and look very good on their website: https://www.modelscenerysupplies.co.uk/n-gauge-products/n-gauge-building-kits/model Scene Small building kits N

They're Czech made so the instructions are in Czech and they're N scale at 1:160 rather than the British N gauge 1:148 scale ratio. However, with there being no standard size for wooden sheds and various sizes, shapes and configurations of them being commonplace, a slightly smaller than intended size shouldn’t matter or be noticeable.

 

 

 

[Ian Morgan]

I have used some of their laser cut vegetation on Freshwater which looks really good. Hopefully the buildings will turn out good too.

 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Ian Morgan
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